Stopping Viruses with Nature

Turning biting insects from disease spreaders to health protectors.

Arboviruses are medically important viruses transmitted by insects causing >175 known human diseases, and disease in animals of agricultural importance (pigs, cows, horses, chickens, etc).

• Mosquito: Dengue virus, Zika virus, Yellow fever, Chikungunya, Sindbis, Mayaro, Ross River, Viruses and Venezuelan/Eastern/Western equine encephalitis viruses, West Nile virus, Japanese Encephalitis virus

• Tick: Powassan virus, Tick-Borne Encephalitis virus, Kyasanur Forest virus, Alkhurma virus, and Omsk virus

Climate change, population growth, habitat encroachment, have all expanded the spread of mosquitoes, and the pathogens they carry, beyond historic geographic boundaries. Vacunax contends the nemesis is not the insect, but the disease pathogens they carry.

A Problem That Needs Solving

Current Insect control methods are ineffective and poison the environment

Insecticides vector control

• Kills both detrimental and beneficial insects with devastating environmental and ecological impact to both agriculture and wildlife

• Insect resistance and human toxicity are growing problems

• Insecticide programs are logistically complex, costly, have a short-term effect

• Insecticide do not remove pathogen from reservoir animals, resurgence of disease inevitable

Population replacement/suppression - genetic engineered sterile insects, Wolbachia symbiont

• Requires large, regular release of sterile or modified mosquitoes to be effective

• Depletes mosquitoes as food source for wildlife with detrimental ecological impact

• Does not remove pathogen from reservoir animals, resurgence potential remains